NEW YORK (CBS) ― A Brooklyn great-grandmother is recovering after being punched in the face by a would-be mugger near her home, and then surprising the culprit with her own bold fight back.
Rafaela Tlatelpa, 75, was on her way home Sunday morning from getting coffee in the Kensington section of the borough when a man attacked her from behind and tried to steal her purse.
"She's still scared, nervous, scared of the outside," Tlatelpa's son Manny told CBS 2.
Manny said his feisty mother, who emigrated from Mexico to New York to work as a seamstress, and has six children, 20 grandchildren, and a dozen great-grandchildren, was no match for a mugger on a bike.
"A gentleman came from behind her, punched her and tried to take her bag," said Manny. "He punched her. She went with the blow. Tough mom."
One strap of the bag the man tried to swipe was even torn loose during the struggle, yet somehow, the elderly woman gave the thug a tussle he probably didn't expect.
"She feared for her life and started yelling and saying bad things to him to keep him away from her," Manny said, translating her account of the incident.
Her yelling alerted one of her neighbors and another man who were about to drive off to work. Tlatelpa pointed out the man on the bike who'd attacked her.
"So, we chased the guy around the block and caught up to him and took him off the bike and held him until police came," said the Good Samaritan neighbor, who didn't want to be identified.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Roger Davis, was booked on a variety of charges, including assault.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops